to speak, perchance to be heard

elevator talk

You know how people have this unspoken code about not speaking in elevators? People talk about the code, but I don’t remember ever being told not to talk in elevators. But I don’t remember being taught a lot of things; a blessing or a curse of aging. It is more likely one of those things that is picked up through repeated behavior; when you are with people in an elevator, you quiet down when you walk in, unless you are there only with whomever you are traveling with.

And even then…

Security cameras? That’s a newer version of why we would want to quiet down.

But in hospitals, it’s even more extreme and noticeable. You watch faces and you know that even if you are happy, you don’t talk in a hospital elevator. There are people there who are clearly not happy. You read their faces and you know there are bad situations that you really don’t want to know about. And so being quiet is a really good idea so that you don’t push your reality onto anyone else.

Of course, when you go to the Nursery floor and you see worried faces, that may be the hardest of all. You can’t help but hold onto your own happiness and take it out of the hospital and gratefully go home.